Bendable, creasable, and printable batteries with enhanced safety and high temperture stability - methods of fabrication, and methods of using the same

Abstract

A current collector. The current collector including a porous substrate and an active coating on the porous substrate. The active coating including an active material, a conductive additive, a binder, and an organic solvent.

Description

[0001]Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.78(a)(4), this application claims the benefit of and priority to prior filed, co-pending Provisional Application Ser. No. 62 / 353,918, filed Jun. 23, 2016. This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 15 / 623,044 and International Application Serial No. PCT / US17 / 37509, both of which are filed on even date herewith. The disclosure of each of these applications is expressly incorporated herein by reference, each in its entirety.RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT[0002]The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for all governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention relates generally to batteries and, more particularly, to flexible, creasable, printable, high temperature batteries, components of the same, and methods of preparing components of the same.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]Flexible energy storage is a widely recognized...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution enables flexible batteries with enhanced safety and performance at various temperatures, reducing weight and increasing energy density while maintaining stability under mechanical stress and high-temperature conditions.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional batteries based on metal foil current collectors (“CCs”) are too rigid and incompatible to sustain operation with repeated flexing and folding.

The metal foil CC contributes to a significant proportion of a conventional battery's total weight (anywhere from 15% to 80%), which reduces overall energy density and performance, and is prone to corrosion.

While promising progress is being made, the development of a flexible, bendable, and creasable device that maintains high performance, even when exposed to harsh environmental and mechanical conditions, is still a significant challenge.

The first approach is limited because merely reducing the thickness of conventional battery components also reduces power capacity and capability.

There has been some steady progress in the fabrication of composite electrodes using a variety of methods, such as vacuum filtration, hot pressing, drop casting, doctor blading, electrospinning, or freeze-drying; however, most are manufactured by batch processes that often limit deposition to two-dimensional substrates.

Additionally, materials fabricated by such methods are often inherently brittle, presumptively due to a lack of binder and higher active material loading (often greater than 90 wt %), which leads to limited utility in flexible or stretchable applications.

Another difficulty associated with conventional batteries is directed to form: specifically, cylindrical or prismatic.

However, the range of motion of these devices is restricted, and the conventional metal foil CCs are susceptible to crack formation and damage.

Such processing renders these conventional polyolefin separators unsuitable for batteries prepared exclusively with additive manufacturing.

; however, lithium-thionyl chloride batters are not rechargeable and thionyl chloride is both toxic and reactive with water. C

onventional, rechargeable Li-ion batteries have the potential to meet the needs of these applications due to their high energy density, high operating voltage, and long lifetime, but several of the components of these conventional Li-ion batteries are not suited for the aforementioned, thermally-demanding conditions that often lead to accelerated cell failure. C

he thermal management systems not only take up unnecessary space, but are expensive and account for 8% to 12% of the total battery cost.

Despite such efforts to compensate for overheating, components of conventional Li-ion batteries are generally unable to achieve stable, long-term, high temperature (greater than 50° C.) operation.

), or the flammable polyolefin structure catches fire, catastrophic shrinkage ensues, which brings the electrodes into contact and initiates thermal runaway.

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